We (Too) Are Philly

We (Too) Are Philly is a summer poetry festival organized by the 2018-2019 Poet Laureate of Philadelphia, Raquel Salas Rivera, and poets Ashley Davis, Kirwyn Sutherland, and Raena Shirali. It is inspired by Langston Hughes’ poem “I, Too” and features a line-up of poets of color who have a strong commitment to fighting white supremacy and collaborating with local communities to create shared creative spaces. Poets will come from all over, but each featured poet will be from Philadelphia. We believe that highlighting local authors will serve to raise and respect the histories of those who have built this city. Each reading will also feature at least one poet that works in more than one language. This is a sanctuary city; this festival is a sanctuary space. ICE and fascism have no right to terrorize our loved ones; our authors’ works maintain that truth.

We aspire to have not just poets of color performing, but also POC audiences. Historically, there has been a racial power dynamic in which white audiences consume black and brown art. This is not that kind of festival.

"'I’d like folks to know that these are spaces where overt discussion, contemplation, and wrestling is taking place — with issues that confront us all,' Shirali says. 'We (Too) Are Philly feels, to me, like a hybrid between a festival and a POC conference. These are our common spaces. Come heal with us.'” -Broad Street Review